Elisha Gardner - 58th NCT

To date, Camp 1946 has placed just over 180 tombstones on the graves of Confederate soldiers from the Toe River Valley. This past Saturday, several members of the camp ventured to Blount County, Tennessee, to place a marker on the grave of a Toe River Valley soldier who relocated to Tennessee after the war.

According to the North Carolina Troops roster, Elisha M. Gardner lived in Mitchell or Yancey County when he enlisted in Mitchell County at the age of 18 on May 17, 1862. On July 29, 1862, he was mustered in as a private in Company B, 58th North Carolina Troops. Gardner deserted at Bell’s Bridge, Tennessee, on July 24, 1863, and had returned to duty some time before December 31 of that year. At some point prior to August 31, 1864, Gardner transferred to Company D of the 58th regiment. Gardner was paroled on May 1, 1865. At some point, Gardner moved to east Tennessee, where he died on May 20, 1909. He is buried at the Chilhowee Primitive Baptist Church.

Camp 1946 is always looking for more unmarked graves of local soldiers. If you are aware of any, please drop us a note.

Welcome Commander Silver

As usual, the Colonel Palmer camp held its annual officer elections at the January meeting. We would like to have everyone welcome our new camp commander, Edd Silver. We look forward to working with Commander Silver over the next year as we grow Camp 1946 and inform the Toe River Valley about the War Between the States.

Lewis P. Silver

Lewis P. Silver is just one of the men who left the Toe River Valley for the War Between the States and never returned. He lived in Mitchell County and enlisted on July 17, 1861. He was 22 years old and was mustered into Company I, 29th North Carolina Troops, on July 11, 1861. Silver was captured “in Kentucky,” sometime between September and November 1862, and was confined in Chattanooga, Tennessee. On January 11, 1863, he was exchanged. Silver was captured again near Atlanta, Georgia, on July 22, 1864, possibly during the battle of Atlanta. He was sent to Nashville, Tennessee, and then on July 30, 1864, was in Louisville, Kentucky. Silver was transferred to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he arrived on August 2, 1864. He died between November 8 and 9, 1864, of typhoid fever, and is buried at the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. This photograph was taken by Camp 1946 member Michael C. Hardy in June 2010.

Our Member of the Year

We would like to extend a special congratulations to our 2010 member of the year: JEB Silver. He is more than deserving of this award. Thanks to everyone who made our annual Christmas banquet the huge success that it was!

Just a reminder, the Col. John B. Palmer Camp 1946’s annual Christmas banquet and awards program is tomorrow (Tuesday) evening – December 21, 2010. I hope you have your ticket! Southern Highland Brigade Commander Derrick Shipman will be speaking. We look forward to seeing you there!

Burnsville Christmas Parade

For the past nine years, the Col. John B. Palmer Camp and the Martha Reid Silver Confederate Memorial Association have participated in the Burnsville Christmas Parade. And, much like today, it is usually cold. Frequently, the groups head over to the Bakersville parade, but this year, it was cancelled. We hope you enjoyed the group’s float this year.

Home school days

On October 30, the Col. John B. Palmer Camp 1946 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Martha Reid Silver Confederate Memorial Association set up a living history for home school families in Yancey County. We had a chance to move over 80 people through stations on local history, common soldiers, firearms, children’s toys, cooking, and care packages, along with artillery. Everyone had a great time! Make sure to check out our flickr account for more photos.